Thursday, January 14, 2010

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.

Back in November, my company held its annual Multi-Cultural Feast. It’s a fun, food-centric celebration to which everyone brings a dish from their homeland—be it Indiana or India.

One of my favorite dishes this year was Anand’s palek paneer (spinach with fresh cheese). It was spicier and tastier than any I’ve ever had in an Indian restaurant. I asked Anand if he would share the recipe, expecting to get one passed down from his grandmother or an auntie or something.

“Sure,” he said, a little sheepishly. “I got it from the Internet. I’ll send you the link. I put in too many chilies, though; you’ll want to use less.”

I had to laugh. That’s how so many of my “family recipes” return to my rotation. I’ll call my mother to get the recipe for grandma’s pound cake or Aunt Jane’s pimento cheese and I’ll realize she’s reading to me from All Recipes.

Whether a generations-old family favorite, or right off the Web, Anand’s palek paneer was awesome and I had to try it. I followed the link (to the charming and informative Indira’s cooking blog, Mahanandi) and found it, to my delight and terror, called for homemade paneer.

I’ve always wanted to make my own cheese, but excused myself because my kitchen is Too Small and rennet is Gross and Horrifying. Well, turns out my kitchen Just Fine and rennet is Mercifully Unnecessary. Here’s what you need for homemade paneer:

And time. It takes time, but much of that is waiting—for the curds and whey to separate, for the whey to drip away, and for the curds to solidify. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s do this.

PrepSqueeze the lime juice in advance.

Step 1Over medium heat, slowly bring the milk to a boil in the heavy bottomed pot. Stir with spoon or spatula often to avoid scorching. This takes about 15 minutes.

Step 2When the milk starts to boil, add the lime juice and stir constantly. You’ll see small curds begin to develop. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue stirring for 5 minutes. The whey will separate from the curds, which will rise to the top.

Step 3Turn off heat and allow to sit for another five minutes or so to cool a bit. Line the colander with cheesecloth. You’ll need about a yard, folded in half.

Step 4Pour the curds and whey into the cloth-lined colander and drain. Pick up the ends of the cheesecloth and give the curds a squeeze. Tie a knot a couple of inches above the curds and allow to hang over the sink for 30 minutes until all the whey has dripped out.

Step 5Untie the knot and twist the cloth to the top of the curds, squeezing out any remaining whey. Tie a knot at the top of the curds and allow to hang for another 30 minutes.

Step 6Remove the curds from the cloth and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 2–3 hours to allow the curds to bind together.

Step 7You have cheese ready for use in recipes or frying.

This cheese has a very mild flavor on it’s own. It tastes mostly like milk, but it adds a delicious creaminess to recipes like palek paneer, which I’ll feature next week.

I made two batches: one with whole milk and one with 2%. There is little difference in taste between the two, so if you want to save calories and fat, go for the 2%. The whole milk cheese is slightly richer, but the main difference: 1/2 gallon of whole milk made 10 oz of cheese, whereas 1/2 of 2% made 8 oz of cheese. Less fat, less cheese.

Since my success with paneer, friends from other countries, like Russia and Ukraine, have shared that “that’s how we made cheese back home.” It’s basically the same recipe as queso fresco and farmer’s cheese. Universally, it seems that milk + acid + heat + time = cheese. That’s some math I can use.